The Tiny Monster Found in a Tuna Can

Just one glance at these shocking images reminds us why we should be grateful for the commandments about keeping kosher, especially when it comes to animal products. Those who purchase food with strict kosher certification probably never encounter situations like Zoey Butler, who was horrified to find a tiny creature with particularly eerie black eyes inside her tuna can.

Butler quickly enlarged the image of the ghastly creature, shared it on Facebook, and asked the online community to help identify it. Despite numerous attempts, only one managed to succeed: Stuart Hine. Hine, who works at the Natural History Museum in London, explained that it is a type of crustacean known as "Cymothoa exigua."

This crustacean attaches to the tongues of fish, drains their blood, and causes them to atrophy—but surprisingly, it doesn't affect the fish's overall functionality. In this particular case, it seems likely, according to Hine, that the crustacean latched onto the tongues of smaller fish that later became the prey of the tuna, eventually finding its way into Zoey's can.